"No Faint Hearts in Fort Worth:" Public Art and Memory in the JFK TributeStephanie Stegman

JFK Statue, Fortworth Texas, Image courtesy of Jeffrey Stvan.

Today, a statue of John F. Kennedy stands in a city park, greeting traffic along Main Street in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. Kennedy's final two speeches and other memorable remarks from his presidency are the centerpiece for a new public art project and accompanying website called the JFK Tribute. Despite the significance to local history and national memory, this uniquely "Fort Worth story" had no visible presence in the city's landscape. Until now.“No Faint Hearts in Fort Worth” On the morning of November, 22, 1963, a large, enthusiastic crowd gathered on a parking lot outside the Hotel Texas to greet President Kennedy. Hours later, the two speeches he made in Fort Worth became his last when he was assassinated in Dealey Plaza in Dallas. The day started out cold and rainy. Trench coats and umbrellas dotted the podium, where dignitaries like Vice-President Lyndon Johnson and Texas Governor John Connally stood behind Kennedy as he spoke to the outdoor crowd. Weather forecasters had projected rain for the president's time in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, part of his two-day, five-city trip through the Lone Star State. Shortly before Kennedy came out of the hotel to speak, the rain stopped and the clouds parted. People outside the hotel that morning recall how President Kennedy walked into the crowd to shake hands with those who had stood in the rain to see him. Then, he gave an impromptu speech, standing on a hastily-constructed platform made from a trailer bed. “There are no faint hearts in Fort Worth...,” Kennedy told the audience.

JFK Public rally, Fort Worth Texas, 1963, Public Domain

The public rally was a last minute edition to the president’s itinerary. Local civic and community leaders had jockeyed for tickets to the only planned speaking engagement, a Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce breakfast. Then, the day before, Representative Jim Wright from Fort Worth (and the future Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives) arranged for the president to make a brief speech at 8:50 a.m. in the parking lot before his scheduled remarks in the hotel ballroom. Kennedy spoke of Fort Worth's contributions to military defense and aviation history as he promoted his new space program. He discussed the need for continued economic growth and encouraged Americans "to assume the burdens of leadership" on the international stage. At the breakfast, his formal remarks focused on national security, one of several themes he was testing for the upcoming 1964 presidential campaign. President and Mrs. Kennedy had spent the night preceding this event in Suite 850 of the Hotel Texas. Having arrived late in the evening, they awoke Friday morning to discover their suite decorated with items from local art collectors. Sixteen pieces represented the best Fort Worth had to offer in modern art and sculpture, including Pablo Picasso's The Angry Owl, American art by Charles Russell, Thomas Eakins, and Morris Graves, and French Impressionist paintings by Van Gogh and Monet. Before leaving the Hotel Texas, the couple made a phone call to thank Fort Worth art patron, Ruth Carter Johnson (later Stevenson), who coordinated the special exhibit.

Kennedy public rally, Fort Worth Texas, Public Domain

After the breakfast, the presidential motorcade made its way down Main Street through a ticker tape parade. Thousands lined the sidewalks to get a glimpse of the president and first lady as they traveled to Carswell Air Force Base. From there, they flew to Love Field in Dallas. "It was a joyous morning," recalls Taylor Gandy, co-chair of the JFK Tribute. Remembering Kennedy For many years, those who witnessed Kennedy's visit to Fort Worth kept the story alive. But, in a downtown full of stories from the past and historical markers, reminders of Kennedy’s time in the city were limited. Only the historic Hotel Texas remained. The early 20th century building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 (today the hotel is under different management as the Hilton Fort Worth). A block away, the Fort Worth Convention Center’s theater was named in honor of JFK. In 2000, the theater was torn down as part of a planned expansion. Today, the parking lot where Kennedy stood is part of General Worth Square. (The city was named after a U.S. Army General in the Mexican War.) It is in this public park that John F. Kennedy, a sculpture by Texas artist Lawrence Ludtke, stands. The 8-foot-tall bronze likeness of JFK faces Main Street between 8th and 9th Streets. The sculpture is the centerpiece of a new permanent open air exhibit, dedicated in November 2012. The JFK Tribute is the result of over a decade of public-private collaboration to tell the “Fort Worth story.” Originally conceived as a public art piece, it became something more.

Image courtesy of Jeffrey Stvan

The sculpture was commissioned privately in 2001, but fundraising efforts slowed after 9-11. When Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. became involved in the project, the clay model was sitting unfinished in the sculptor’s Houston studio. Co-chairs and local business leaders Shirlee J. and Taylor Gandy committed to funding the bronze and led a new $2 million fundraising effort to create an exhibit surrounding the sculpture. The final design offers visitors a space for reflection on Kennedy’s life and the universal themes discussed in his speeches. Similarly, the JFK Tribute’s website provides visitors a place to view images, access K-12 curriculum resources and supporting documents, and watch streaming videos of Kennedy’s two speeches in Fort Worth. Even those familiar with President Kennedy’s trip to North Texas may be in for some surprises. The website includes video interviews with Congressman Jim Wright, who shares his memories of that day along with his rendition of Frank Sinatra’s 1959 hit, “High Hopes,” the 1960 Kennedy campaign theme song. Actor and Fort Worth native Bill Paxton also lends his star power to the project by introducing the audio tour. Ultimately, the JFK Tribute recognizes that the "Fort Worth story" is not just a local story but a national moment in time. This November will be the fifth anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. Visitors to the website http://www.jfktribute.com are encouraged to contribute their own memories and stories of that day.

Stephanie Stegman, Ph.D. is a public historian and archival researcher in Fort Worth, Texas. She would like to give a special thanks to Taylor Gandy and Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. President Andrew Taft.

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